Beyond: Two Souls-The Apocalypse
by Alienboy12
Summary: Jodie Holmes has cheated death twice already but she's still far from safe. At night she's haunted by visions of entities swarming around the city, bringing destruction to everything in their path. Even worse, some government officials are starting to act strangely, like puppets on invisible strings. This time there's no Aiden. She must fight alone. I DON'T OWN THE COVER IMAGE


A/N: Jodie is not in this chapter. She will enter in the next one. Copyright goes to David Cage and Quantic Dream for being awesome :)

Prologue

The coffee shop was empty apart from two people. A single waitress wiping the tables with cloth and spray, and a pale, unshaven man sitting by the window, watching the empty street outside. With it's mahogany walls, dim lighting and smiling waitresses, this place was normally packed during the day. But now it was night, the chatter and puffing of the coffee machines had faded with the light of day. The man looked at his watch. It was eight fifty four. He'd better move now, he didn't want to be late. He got up, pulled his jacket on from over his chair, muttered a 'thank you' in the direction of the waitress and made for the door. There was a sharp chill in the air, he saw his own breath form a cloud as he began to walk, the street lights casting long, hard shadows across the pavement.

The man's name was Keith Manson. Until a month ago he had been a researcher at the department of paranormal activities, the DPA, which was situated underneath the pentagon in Washington D.C. and had housed the largest and most powerful condenser ever built, known as the Black Sun. By opening a rift to the other side, they had been able to study the afterlife, or the Infraworld as they called it, and find out what happened to humans there after they died. But one day, for some reason the containment field surrounding the rift had failed and and the condenser had to be shut down, killing 283 people. Only a couple of days later, a law had been passed that had made research of the Infraworld illegal to anyone. But Keith wasn't going to give up so easily. He had worked at the DPA for seven years and had been made redundant for no real reason apart from other people's mistakes. He knew a lot of his fellow researchers shared his frustration so had decided to call a meeting with a few of them to discuss the way forward. That was where he was heading now.

All three of them were already outside. He had texted them to let them know he would be back to let them in at nine because he couldn't stand the thought of waiting there for them. He was extremely nervous, it hadn't been easy convincing his colleagues to come, what if one of them got cold feet?

He gave them a brief nod. This was no time for meet and greet. That would have to wait until they were inside, so he turned the key and opened the door, grateful for the warm air on his face after being out in the cold. He beckoned the three of them in and shut the door.

"Hey guys" he said as cheerfully as he could "Coffee?"

"Sure" said David Lucas.

"Thanks" said Anthony Marcus.

"Uh-no thanks" said Alex Gibson.

"OK." Keith said. He went into the kitchen, taking a tub of it from the cupboard. "I've only got instant, is that OK?"

"Yeah that's fine." said David and Alex.

Usually they would avoid small talk but there was tension in the air, Keith decided to get started. He beckoned them into his living room, with it's two sofas, bookshelf and French windows opening into his back garden. Keith and Anthony sat on one sofa, David and Alex on the other. It was time to begin.

"OK guys" said Keith, "You know why you're here. Our life's work has become null and void and we're going to have to start again. But we need to figure out how. Our research is now illegal, our workplace abandoned, we've all been made redundant, they want us to think we have no future. But tonight we're going to plan it. And I've already got one thing that will help to bring us back to studying the infraworld."

Keith got up and moved over to the bookshelf. Then he slid two of his fingers into the narrow gap between it and the wall, pulled out a long, thin roll of paper and spread it out on the coffee table. It was blueprint paper, with a design carefully sketched out.

"This is not a condenser. It traps souls from the Infraworld halfway between their world and ours," Keith went on, "If we can build it, we can use them to get information about their environment, climate and conditions amongst other things. Then, when we have all the information we need, we can spread it around. Before long everyone will know the truth and the government will have no choice but to remove the law. Then we can resume our old lives and pretend this never happened, aside from the fact that no one will have to fear death ever again."

There was silence for a moment.

"Where did you find this?" asked David. There was an element of uncertainty in his voice

"Nathan's office" said Keith, "I did some hunting around just before the complex was abandoned. I had a feeling I would need to if we were to continue."

"Do you know what he was using it for?" asked Anthony next to him.

"No. It doesn't matter. We're putting it to use now. You might even be able to talk to your dead loved ones."

"Really?" said David. He was slightly more animated now, whatever doubt was in his voice had gone.

"Really." said Keith. This was good. He was getting the reaction he had been hoping for.

"But how do we build it?" said Alex, "Even the smallest condenser needs at least a 3.37 gigawatt's of power to generate the frequency".

"Well this is our only setback" said Keith, "This is a special condenser. It needs ten gigawatt's at the very least."

Keith had been trying to avoid this all along. He suspected Nathan had probably powered it by hooking it up to the Black Sun but what were they going to do? He could see doubt beginning to sink into Alex's face.

"Hold on" said David suddenly, "The power plant on Leicester road! I used to work there, I could find a way in after hours!"

It was true that David had worked there for many years before coming to the DPA. He probably knew the building better than any of them.

"Well if you know the building well that would save us time having to size it up to find a way in." said Keith, revived.

"Yeah. We could just connect the generators side by side and then channel the power though a couple of ion units like in the diagram."

"What about a containment field?" asked Alex, the doubt still showing on his face.

"We don't need one." said Keith confidently, "Because the ion units are taking such a high frequency they'll be focusing on very specific parts of the Infraworld, specific enough so that we can pick out individual souls. One soul will make no difference in our world if it gets out of hand."

But Alex still looked uncomfortable. To be fair, he had only been working at the DPA for six months until the black sun was destroyed, so he hadn't lost anywhere near as much work as the rest of them. Even so, Keith hoped Alex would stay loyal to him and the rest.

"So all that's left.." said Keith, trying to steer the conversation back to business, "Is to figure out a strategy and a day to carry it out. David, what's the security situation?"

"Not a lot really. The cameras are dummies. There's a barbed wire fence around the entire complex but a couple of wire cutters should get us through."

"Are we master criminals now?" joked Anthony, but nobody laughed.

"There's a shift change at midnight every night so that's our best bet", David went on, "We'll just have to sneak in before they lock the doors, then all we have to is get to the lower basement where the generators are and we'll be good to go."

"OK." said Keith, "But first we actually need to build this thing. If I could sneak into Nathan's office again maybe I could find a way to get some of the equipment because he obviously built it at least once."

"Then the rest of us will come in with you" said Anthony, "Maybe we can actually find it! If so I reckon it would take at least two of us to get it out and into a lift."

"Well, I searched all over the place for it. He might not have got round to building it, or if he did he didn't want anyone to find it."

Keith paused. This was something he had been wondering from the very beginning. If Nathan had built his condenser where could he have hidden it so that nobody found it? He had never been told Nathan's exact cause of death, had he been using it for something that had backfired and lead to his death? Keith shook himself mentally. He wasn't going to go the same was as Nathan.

"Anyway" said Keith, trying to get back to business for the second time that evening, "We break into unit 4 and get the ion units, then we can do the rest from scratch. According to the plans it's not too complicated, we should have it completed in a matter of weeks if we work on it say, two hours a week. When would be convenient for everyone?"

A minute later they had agreed to meet this time next week after Keith had agreed to break into unit 4, alone to avoid suspicion. He had discussed everything he needed to tonight, now he would have to let his clients go and sleep on their plan. So he got up, and beckoned them into the hallway and out the door. David and Anthony said goodbye, but Alex lingered for a moment in the doorway, a blank expression on his face, looking Keith straight in the eye. Was he trying to warn him?

"Goodnight then" Keith said, and shut the door. He watched Alex's figure linger for a moment behind the frosted glass, then move slowly down the path and out of sight.

Keith went back into the living room. Everything had gone as planned. He had three allies, maybe more soon. They knew what to do and when to do it. A satisfied expression on his face, he put the plans back behind the bookshelf. He was just about to go and get ready for bed when the phone on the brown cabinet rang, breaking the science with a sharp ring. The LCD screen indicated that it was a private number. Keith briefly wondered who would want to talk to him at this time before he picked it up, silencing it, and sat down heavily on the sofa.

"Hello" he said.

"Mr Manson?"

The voice was emotionless and soft, barely more than a whisper, but even so Keith could hear it crystal clear.

"Speaking" he replied.

"I have waited a long time for this" said the voice, "The pleasure is all mine".

"Can I help you at all?" said Keith uncertainly.

"You already have. Your research in unit 4 has proven very...informative".

Now Keith was even more uncertain. Who would be calling him at 9.30 at night to congratulate him on research that was now illegal?

"Umm...thank you", he said. He didn't quite know what to say. "But you know I've been made redundant. It's now illegal to study the Infraworld and all my research has been handed to the government."

"Oh, but I'm part of the government Mr Manson" said the voice, and now there a hint of something like sarcasm. "In fact, I think you should know it was me who made your research illegal. I'm merely offering my condolences to the loss of your life's work".

Keith stood up in a silent rage. This man was the reason had been forced to leave his seven year long job and hold a meeting at a ridiculous hour. And now he was calling him just so he could mock him. Keith wanted to scream at him, but all the same he was still puzzled.

"I have only one concern" said the voice, and now the sarcasm was replaced by a much more serious tone.

"What's that?" said Keith, sitting back down.

"You have failed to heed our warnings tonight, and I'm afraid you have made a dangerous enemy."

Keith stood up again, panic stricken. Somehow the CIA had discovered his meeting and snitched on him. In his head he cursed Alex, it could only have been him. He hadn't looked him in eye all evening up until he had left his house. He should have expected this.

"I'm not afraid of the government" he blustered, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. "I'm not alone in this, I've got a lot of people working with me and we can disappear any time, all of us!" he added on a sudden impulse.

"Not of the government, of the Infraworld. You must not know it's secrets."

"Really? Well I'm not afraid of the Infraworld either! They have no way of getting to us without a rift and we're going to make sure they stay there. We don't fear it the way you do." Keith said coldly.

"Are you sure? Even after the black sun nearly destroyed your world forever?"

"They were careless. They thought it was something to be controlled and manipulated. All we want is to study it, discover what happens after death."

"So you do fear it" Now the voice was colder than ever. "You fear what you don't understand. You want to know the answers."

"I don't want to argue with you any more!" Keith's temper was rising again, "Why don't you tell me where to meet you and talk face to face with me?"

There was a moment's science. Then the voice returned, soft but clear as ever.

"I'm everywhere Mr Manson. In fact, I'll come and see you now."

Keith was about to protest but then was a click as the man hung up. He sat down on the sofa and put his face in his hands. It was over. Before it had even begun. Once again he cursed Alex, this time out loud, muttering an insult under his breath. He couldn't run or hide, David and Anthony would probably be found too. But despite his discomfort he was still confused. The man (or at least he thought it was a man) had told him he had made an enemy of the Infraworld. But surely the Infraworld couldn't be here? They had no reason to be...yet.

A couple of minutes later he was sitting there, still unsure of what to think. The silence of his own home was starting to unnerve him, he would almost be grateful for a cop at the door ordering him to open up. But if they were coming for him surely they would want to take him by surprise, turn up unexpectedly out of the blue. On top of this, if Alex had grassed him up he would have had to have done it extremely quickly, he had only got the call about a minute after they had left. But if not Alex, who could possibly have found out? Once again the words of the man on the phone crossed his mind: "You fear what you don't understand. You want to know the answers..."

And then the lamp on the other side of the sofa suddenly flickered and Keith felt a chill colder than the evening air penetrate his entire body. He stood up suddenly, seeing his breath form a cloud in front of his face once again. What was going on? Keith thought maybe the electricity had somehow been cut and was about to go and check the fusebox in the hallway when he felt his breath catch in his throat. He tried to breathe but couldn't. He clutched his neck gasping for air, it was as though an invisible wire had tightened around his neck but he couldn't pull it away. He tried to scream but couldn't find the air. Instead he fell face down on the coffee table shattering the glass and cutting up his face. Blood seeping on to the white carpet, eyes bulging out of their sockets he lay there, motionless.

The Infraworld had taken Keith Manson's investigation as a declaration of war, so for that reason he had to die. The next day the same spirit possessed the same man, called the forensics laboratory where his body was being analysed, and claimed responsibility for his death. Instead of a name he left a simple but chilling message. When he was done, their world would be no more.


End file.
